Chapter 16: What Now?
IAN
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The rhythmic thuds of fists colliding with punching bags echoed throughout the training hall. I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed, silently observing Elena from across the room. She had improved.
A lot. Every stance correction, every punch, every movement I could see my lessons taking shape. She's learning fast.
Much faster than I had expected. If she kept progressing at this pace... Three or four more days. That was all she would need before I could confidently say she could defend herself in close combat.
Her firearm skills, however... That was another story. Shooting required discipline, patience, and muscle memory. That couldn't be rushed. My eyes followed the movement of her body as she pivoted into another punch. Her footing is stable now.
Her shoulders no longer tensed with every strike. Even the way she exhaled during the impact had improved. Good. Very good.
My gaze drifted lower for only a brief second before moving back to her face.
The concentration in her expression. The determination. Something inside my chest stirred unexpectedly. ...Focus. I forced the thought away before it had the chance to become anything more. Elena finally slowed to a stop, wiping the sweat from her forehead before reaching for the water bottle resting on a nearby table. She took several long drinks. Then she looked at me. Only then did I realize... I'd already been looking at her. "Hey," she said. "Can I ask you something?" I blinked, snapping back to reality. "Yeah." I straightened. "Sure. You can." She hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I mean... if it's not too much to ask..." She looked down at the bottle in her hands. "I just wanted to know what happened to you." I stayed silent. She continued carefully. "What was your journey to this place?" Another pause.
"I know how some of the others ended up here. Mostly because you've told me about them." Her eyes met mine. "But you've never really talked about yourself." The words settled heavily in the room. I swallowed. A bitter taste rose in my throat.
Along with a familiar lump that never truly disappeared. After a long silence, I finally nodded. "It's okay." I offered a faint smile. "It's not too much to ask." I took a slow breath. "We were home." "My parents and I." "The news had already spread by then."
"Everyone knew something terrible was happening." "But we weren't worried... not immediately." "Our house had enough food." "Enough water." "We didn't need to go outside." I looked down at my hands.
"The only problem..." I swallowed. "...was where we lived." "It was one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the city." I could still picture it. Every street.
Every house. Every window. "One afternoon..." "We were upstairs." "In my parents' bedroom." A small smile appeared despite myself. "We were looking through old family photographs." "My childhood."
"I remember laughing." "It almost felt..."
"...normal." The smile faded. "Then we heard screaming." My chest tightened.
"My mom and dad immediately ran to the window." "They told me to stay back." "They didn't want me seeing whatever was happening outside." A laugh escaped me.
Broken. Empty. The corners of my eyes burned. Little did they know... I looked away before the tears could fall. "Little did they know what I was about to see." "My parents watched an entire horde tearing through the neighborhood." "They weren't just killing people." "They were turning them." "Every scream became another infected." "Every victim became another monster." I could still hear it. The screaming. The banging. The panic.
Then... A loud crash. "Our front door."
"The infected had found us." "My dad ran downstairs first." "He made my mother stay behind with me." My breathing grew slower.
"He barely made it halfway." The memory hit like a hammer. "I heard the front door break." "Then..." "My father's scream."
I closed my eyes. "My mother didn't hesitate." "She ran downstairs." "She told me to stay in the room." I laughed bitterly.
"I was a kid." "I was curious." "So..."
"I followed her." The room felt colder.
"I wish I hadn't." I could still see it. My father is lying motionless on the floor. My mother...
Surrounded. The infected tearing into her.
There was so much blood. "So much..."
"I couldn't even understand what I was looking at." "My legs moved before my brain did." "I ran." "As fast as I could."
"I didn't stop crying." "I didn't stop running."
"I eventually found an abandoned garage."
"I hid there." "For days." "Maybe weeks."
"I honestly don't know anymore." "Every single day became a battle." "Not against the infected..." "But against hunger."
"Against exhaustion." "Against giving up."
I shook my head. "When I think about it now..." "I honestly don't know how I stayed alive." "I should've died." "I almost did."
"But one day..." "I was starving." "I could barely stand." "That's when they found me." "The people from this shelter." "They brought me here." A genuine smile finally appeared. "And that's where I met Emma."
"She was older than me." "We clicked almost instantly." "I never had a sister before." "But somehow..." "She became one." Silence settled between us. I looked toward the floor. "So..." "As far as I know..."
"My parents are still out there." "They're infected now." I swallowed once more.
"And that's my story." The room became completely silent. Elena slowly placed the bottle back on the table. She walked toward me. Then... Very gently... She rested a hand on my shoulder. Her expression was full of sympathy. Compassion. Understanding. I hated it. Not because of her. Because I didn't want anyone feeling sorry for me. I wasn't special. Everyone here had lost someone. Everyone carried scars. Mine weren't heavier than theirs.
I cleared my throat before she could say anything. " Well..." I forced a small smile.
"Enough talking." I gestured toward the equipment. "You should continue training."
She hesitated. Then nodded. Without another word, she returned to the punching bag. I stared into space for several moments. Trying to push the memories back where they belonged.
That's when I felt it. A familiar presence entering the room. I turned immediately.
Dameon. I instinctively straightened my posture. I hadn't seen much of him since the coastal mission. Since... Rhys. He'd practically lived inside the training center ever since. Working. Training. Pushing himself until exhaustion. He looked awkward standing there. Like he wasn't entirely sure how to begin. Elena had stopped training again. She looked just as surprised. She barely knew him. Dameon finally broke the silence. "Hey, guys." A small smile appeared on his face. "Hog told me there was a trainer needed." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm starting tomorrow." "I just thought I'd come see who I'd be training." Elena looked confused. I understood immediately. "Well..." I nodded toward Elena. "Her strength training is almost complete." "Another three days."
"After that..." I looked back at Dameon.
"You can take over her firearms training."
I paused. "A few of us have a search party duty this Wednesday anyway." I folded my arms. "For now, I know one of the new refugees really needs someone." Dameon nodded. "Alright." "I'll check that out."
He smiled. "Thanks." "You guys carry on."
I nodded. He disappeared into the adjoining section of the training hall. I turned And nearly walked straight into Elena. I stepped back instinctively. She looked up at me. "You guys are going to a search party tomorrow?" There it was.
I already knew where this conversation was heading. "The search party..." She swallowed. "...for the children?" I hesitated.
"...Yeah." "Caine told us." She frowned.
"You never told me about any search party." Damn. Caine specifically told us not to discuss it yet. Honestly... I'd forgotten all about it until Dameon mentioned tomorrow.
"I..." I rubbed the back of my neck. "I forgot." "I'm sorry." She didn't hesitate.
"I want to go with you." Of course she did.
I closed my eyes for a second. Here we go.
I took a slow breath. "Look, Elena..."
"You're not ready." "You've gotten stronger." "A lot stronger." "You've worked incredibly hard these past few days." "But it isn't enough." I pointed toward the shooting range. "Your firearm skills still need serious work." "And based on everything I've seen..." I shook my head. "I wouldn't recommend taking you." I paused before continuing. "And Caine won't approve it either." "We're going on a rescue mission."
"We can't afford to lose any of our own."
The words felt heavier than I intended.
I looked away. "...Again." Silence. She stared at me. I could tell she understood.
But she wasn't ready to accept it. She inhaled slowly. "What if they're inside the Reestablishment?" Her voice trembled.
"What if..." She stopped. Saying her sister's name clearly hurt. Instead she whispered,
"...my sister." Her breathing became uneven. "You don't even know what she looks like." The pain in her eyes hit me harder than I expected. It almost pierced straight through my chest. I softened my voice. "Hey." "It's okay." I met her gaze.
"We're having a briefing before the search party leaves." "We'll gather every bit of information we can about the missing children." I offered a reassuring smile.
"We'll know what we're looking for." "We'll do everything we can." "It'll be alright."
She looked at me for several long seconds. Then... Very slowly... She nodded. Before either of us could say another word
A deafening Thud echoed somewhere outside the training center. The screaming noises from outside I immediately looked toward the entrance. ...What the hell is happening now? Elena's eyes met mine.
The same question was written across both of our faces. Neither of us spoke.
Then, almost instinctively We ran toward the sound.
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